Keyword Research

Learning how to do keyword research is a fundamental SEO task that involves identifying popular words and phrases, i.e. keywords, that people enter into search engines, such as Google. When you know what your audience searches for, you can focus the content you create around those topics. Researching keywords gives marketers a better understanding of how high the demand is for certain keywords and how hard it would be to compete for those terms against competitors in the organic search results, offering some direction to optimization efforts.

Keyword research has adapted over time, but modern keyword research prioritizes search intent, i.e. the primary goal a user has when searching a keyword in a search engine. Sophisticated keyword research involves organizing keywords by user journey and/or sales funnel stages. Winning keyword research enables users to find exactly what they need, wherever they are in their buying journey.

In the Moz Academy Keyword Research Certification, we delve deeper into the history and future of keyword research, as well as how the user’s journey through the sales funnel relates to the keywords you choose for specific pieces of content.

Keyword research isn't just about verifying how many searches a particular keyword has — it's also about exploring the many varied ways that people use language to research an idea or topic. As such, researching popular keywords isn't just a big part of search engine optimization, it's also a major element of content marketing as a whole. Why? Because it can help you find ideas for your next blog post, inform your future content strategy, learn more about the questions, problems, and needs of your audience, and keep up to date with the lingo of the ever-changing search landscape. Ultimately, by researching the words people type into search engines and using this research to create targeted content, you can drive the right traffic to your site — traffic that is more likely to convert.

Keyword research isn't just a one-off task. Your website's foundation is built on keywords, so precisely what building blocks you use requires regular re-evaluation and maintenance. Search language shifts constantly, new keywords are being formed all the time, and your audience's needs develop and grow, as well as their intent. As a result, keyword research is a job worth doing whenever you're looking to update existing content on your site, and when you are looking to create new content. This includes when you're looking at starting a new website or page if you're writing a new blog post for an existing site when you're deciding whether to promote a particular product or service and beyond. It's also rather handy if you're restructuring your existing site and consolidating your content.

Your website content should serve to fulfill the needs of your audience. By regularly assessing the ways in which people search and by identifying not just the most popular searches but also the specific and ever-changing ways that people search for content within your niche of the internet, you can continue to create content your audience will enjoy and share.

All keyword research starts with a topic, idea, or head keyword, also called a "seed keyword." This seed can come from your industry knowledge, from being an active member in related online forums and groups, or from the products and services you provide. For example, if you own a cafe, your seed keywords may be ‘coffee’ or ‘pastries’ Make sure you have a spreadsheet or notepad where you can jot these terms down as you journey through the labyrinth of websites and social networks to discover variations on those keywords.

Hot tip: Think outside the box. Where can you go to find the keywords that your audience is searching? Check out SERP features - specifically the ‘People Also Ask’ and ‘Related Searches’ features. These particular elements provide suggestions on what else your audience may be searching for.

Another way to find keywords is through social listening - get on to Twitter and search for your brand, product names, or competitors, and see what people are saying about you in real-time!

SERP Features: People Also Ask and Related Searches

Once you've got a good list, you'll want to determine how popular each keyword is and how difficult it would be to rank for them on search engine results pages (SERPs). This is where a keyword tool comes in handy. Start by entering a seed keyword into a research tool like Keyword Explorer. In this Moz tool, you’ll see keyword metrics including: Monthly Search Volume, Difficulty, and Organic CTR. You'll be presented with details on how popular your keyword is and how difficult it is to rank well for it.

Moz’s Keyword Explorer: Keyword Metrics

• The SEO Keyword Research Master Guide - Become a master with our guide to all things keyword research.

• Moz Academy’s Keyword Research Certification - Understand the fundamentals, gain a plethora of new knowledge, and level up your skills with this Moz certified coursework.

Learn on the Moz Blog:

• Estimating Search Opportunity - Whiteboard Friday

• Metrics for Better Keyword Research - Whiteboard Friday

• Long Tail SEO: How You Can Have It All or Die Trying

• Diving for Pearls: A Guide to Long Tail Keywords - This is a super helpful resource for taking a deep dive into those long tail keywords that account for most of the traffic to a site.

• Long Tail SEO: When & How to Target Low-Volume Keywords - Learn why targeting keywords with a lower search volume is definitely well worth your time.

• A Must-Have Keyword Research Process for Winning SEO

• Daily SEO Fix: Competitive Keyword Research - Understand how to get ahead of your competition in keyword research.

• Daily SEO Fix: Collecting, Organizing, and Tracking Keywords with Moz Pro - Learn how to do keyword research using the Keyword Explorer tool